EA just released a new game without any warning, and there's a simple reason why: loot boxes

The loot boxes in "Apex Legends" are called "Apex Packs." Make no mistake: This is definitely a loot box.
EA/Respawn Entertainment

EA, the game publisher behind blockbusters like "Madden," "FIFA," and "Star Wars Battlefront," just released an unannounced, brand-new game.

The game, "Apex Legends," is a free-to-play, Battle Royale-style game, like "Fortnite."

The reason for the surprise launch: loot boxes.

In 2019, the term "loot box" is a trigger.

When a major game publisher like EA — known for publishing massive franchises like "Madden," "FIFA," "Mass Effect," and "Battlefield," among others — announces a game with loot boxes in 2019, it's likely to send up red flags for potential players.

The game skipped the usual announcement/marketing cycle that most entertainment goes through, with years of manufactured hype leading up to a splashy launch day. Instead, it was announced and launched on Monday, February 4 with no prior warning — an especially rare occurrence in the video game industry.

EA held an event for influencers ahead of the February 4 announcement, and word of the game's impending release leaked ahead of launch. "Apex Legends"/Electronic Arts

The logic is simple: "We're doing a free-to-play game, with essentially loot boxes, after we were bought by EA, and it's not 'Titanfall 3.' It's the perfect recipe for a marketing plan to go awry," lead producer Drew McCoy told Eurogamer in an interview this week.

"So why have that?" he said. "Let's just ship the game and let players play."

It's hard logic to argue with.

Though the game is published by EA, "Apex Legends" was created by Respawn Entertainment — the brilliant game studio behind the "Titanfall" series that was founded by the people who created "Call of Duty." There's pedigree behind "Apex Legends" that should give the game a leg-up.

It's that wariness that Respawn was trying to circumvent with a sudden launch.

"We understand this game is gonna have a skeptical audience," McCoy told Eurogamer. "To try and convince a skeptical audience for months with trailers and hands-on articles, we're just like 'let the game speak for itself.'"

The same formula as 'Fortnite'

It certainly doesn't hurt that "Apex Legends" is a genuinely fun game, a fresh take on the still-nascent Battle Royale genre.

It's a completely free first-person shooter that's focused on a Battle Royale mode, but instead of 100 players, there are only 60. There's no solo or duos play — instead, all 60 players are funneled into three-person teams. As is standard with Battle Royale games, everyone is dropped onto an island full of weapons. The last person alive is the winner.

Yes, I did already win a game of "Apex Legends." Stop wondering. EA/Respawn Entertainment

It's the same formula that "Fortnite" employs, albeit with a very different vibe.

Each character has their own special abilities, and much of the game's mechanics are built around communicating detail. The game feels sort of like "Titanfall 2," the excellent shooter that Respawn launched in 2016, just without the massive robot "titans."

Also like "Fortnite," loot boxes in "Apex Legends" are strictly for cosmetic items — stuff that doesn't impact how the game plays.

"Apex Legends" is free on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC right now. Check it out in action right here: